The Trouble with Taiwan: History, the United States and a Rising China

Description

Taiwan is one of the great paradoxes of the international order. A place with its own flag, currency, government and military, but which most of the world does not recognise as a sovereign country. An island that China regards as a 'rebellious province', but which has managed to survive defiantly for decades. Now with its neighbour China a major power on the world stage and ally United States looking increasingly inward, Taiwan's position has never been more precarious. Kerry Brown and Kalley Wu Tzu-hui reveal how the island's shifting fortunes have been shaped by centuries of conquest and by a cast of dynamic characters, by Cold War intrigue and the rise of its neighbour as a global power, explaining how this tiny island, caught between the agendas of two superpowers, is attempting to find its place in a rapidly changing world order. The Trouble with Taiwan relates the story of a fascinating nation and culture, and how its disputed status speaks to a wider, global story about Chinese control and waning US influence.

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese studies and Director of the Lau China Institute,at King's College, London. Prior to this he spent seven years working for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing. His previous books include CEO China: The Rise of Xi Jinping (2016) and China and the New Maoists (with Simone van Nieuwenhuizen, Zed 2016). Kalley Wu Tzu Hui is a researcher and international financial consultant specializing in China. She has worked for over a decade in finance and international trade in Taiwan, the UK and Australia. She is a native of Taiwan.

Maps out why the world should care about the self-ruled island ... t the heart of The Trouble with Taiwan is a detailed picture of the island as it is today, and how the political, economic and social paths have affected the lives of Taiwanese citizens. * South China Morning Post * The Trouble with Taiwan provides a lively briefing for what could be the next crisis to face Xi Jinping ... The authors point out that, for all the rhetoric from Beijing, the island has only been ruled directly from Beijing for brief periods in its history. * Financial Times * Taiwan is one of the most important but least understood places in Asia today. This book provides an invaluable introduction to this potential flashpoint for future conflict between the US and China, while centring Taiwanese people in their own story as they attempt to take control of their own futures in the face of ever greater pressure from Beijing. As China's military and diplomatic power grows, Taiwan is on the frontline in standing up to Beijing and asserting its rights for autonomy and democracy. * James Griffiths, author of The Great Firewall of China: How To Build and Control an Alternative Version of the Internet * /i>'By marshalling history, biography, internal politics, and international affairs, Brown and Wu Tzu-hui address the very 'trouble' they describe: they help situate a Taiwan whose "place" in the world is otherwise plagued by uncertainty. * Benjamin Zawacki, author of Thailand: Shifting Ground Between the US and a Rising China * Fresh and authoritative, written with brio and precision. * Thomas Plate, author of Yo-Yo Diplomacy * 'An important and timely guide to one of the most dangerous potential flashpoints for future conflict between the West and China.' * James Griffiths, author of The Great Firewall of China * 'Brown and Wu Tzu-hui help situate a Taiwan whose "place" in the world is otherwise plagued by uncertainty.' * Benjamin Zawacki, author of Thailand *